Lassa fever spreads its ravaging tentacles to the Southwest.
Three fresh cases of lassa fever have been confirmed in two Local Government Areas of Ondo State.
It was announced by the Disease Surveillance and Notification Officers (DSNO) that the cases were detected in Owo LGA and Akure North LGA of the state.
Samples of a case identified in Eyin-Ogbe, Owo LGA was sent to Irrua Specialist Hospital, Edo State for testing and was confirmed.
Two suspected cases were also identified in Ayede-Ogbese, Akure North LGA, and samples sent to same hospital for confirmation.
The Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Dayo Adeyanyu said that proactive measures had been put in place since the recent outbreak in Anambra and Delta states thus helping the DSNOs and the community to identify the symptoms easily and quickly spring into action.
According to him, “there is active surveillance in all our LGAs, much more so when we learnt of the last outbreak in Anambra and Delta states, we felt we were likely to be prone. Our surveillance became much more active.”
Adeyanju assured the people of the state that there was no cause for alarm as the confirmed case was presently receiving treatment in Irrua, while the suspected cases were being placed on check.
“We need to keep tab on them and ensure that we are able to trace them to the last person so we can curtail it.
“At the moment, there is no cause for alarm; the outbreak control team has been active, sensitization has been ongoing, jingles and other resources are maximally exploited,” he said.